Campbell River Salmon Festival

Campbell River proudly calls itself the Salmon Capital of the World, and its Salmon Festival — SalmonFest — is the community's big summer celebration of that heritage. Held over a weekend at Willow Point, on the grounds around the Sportsplex, it packs a huge amount of family fun and genuine Island character into a couple of days, drawing crowds from across the north Island as the gateway to the wild north coast celebrates its salmon roots.

The festival is best known for its world-class logger sports — a thrilling nod to the region's forestry heritage, with competitors racing through axe-throwing, sawing, pole-climbing and log-rolling events that pull big, appreciative crowds. Alongside the timber sports, a Highland gathering brings pipes, drums and heavy games, adding skirling bagpipes and kilted strongmen to the mix. Round it out with live entertainment, food, vendors, kids' activities and the friendly hometown atmosphere of a genuine community festival, and you have a full weekend out for all ages.

Campbell River is the jumping-off point for some of Vancouver Island's wildest country — Strathcona Provincial Park, the wildlife-rich waters of Discovery Passage, and the ferry hop to Quadra and Cortes Islands. A festival visit pairs naturally with a fishing charter, a hike or a day on the water. Come for the logger sports and the pipes, stay for the scenery, and soak up one of the north Island's liveliest summer weekends. Bring a chair, sun protection and an appetite.